When the Stars Align
by AlphaNeph1321
Summary: AU Story. Derek and Leanna have been inseparable their whole lives. They've survived numerous hardships but the worst is about to happen. And this time it's personal. When an old foe of their families makes her appearance, they are forced to deal with their secret romantic feelings towards each other and figure out a way to save their friends, each other and their town from doom.
1. Looming Darkness

_**Leanna**_

I always seem to find myself in the midst of a heated battle.

My mama tried to warn me about it. She used to say that it comes with the name. _"It's_ _the_ _heritage_ _of_ _Kingston_ _werelions_, _querida. It_ _is our_ _sacred_ _duty_ _to_ _protect_ _the_ _people_ _of_ _this town, supernatural_ _or_ _not, at_ _all_ _costs. It_ _is challenging_ _and_ _it is tiring_ _but_ _it is also_ _part_ _of_ _who_ _we_ _are. Of_ _who_ you _are. And_ _you'll_ _learn_ _to_ _embrace_ _it over_ _time, no_ _matter_ _its_ _heavy_ _weight"_ But, of course, I didn't listen to her. Back then, I was just an innocent and naive little girl who believed her old lady to be just a bit melodramatic. But it didn't take long for me to find out exactly how right she was. And I found out in the worst way possible. When I came home one day and discovered the majority of my family dead by the bullets of a hunter. When I felt loss and heartache and loneliness for the first time ever. From that moment on, my life was set on its course and the path to warriorhood was the only one for me to follow. My tragedy was meant to break me, but instead I used it as my driving force. My mother's words of love and wisdom, my father's teachings of strength and the determination my siblings and I shared were what kept my heart going. They became the concrete I used to re-build and reinforce my spirits. That's how I became the werelioness warrior I was meant to become - like the rest of my family's females.

And through the years I've come to realize that the battlefield is exactly where I belong. The adrenaline pumping through my veins. My muscles burning from all the power brewing under my skin. An earth-shattering roar erupting from the depths of my lungs as I strike another foe to the ground with a high kick across the face. My fangs on full display, the blood of our enemies dripping from the tips of my claws and the bright orange color of my lioness eyes glowing like that of early dawn. Ah yes. The dance of war is one I know all too well. I've gotten accustomed to it. Learned its steps by heart. And even grown to love it from time to time. I've specifically learned to love the satisfaction I get from knowing that I'm fighting for my friends, the people of Beacon Hills, my life and for De- I mean for what is right and good.

Today is no different.

* * *

"Heads up!" I yell as I send another one of those ghastly looking motherfuckers flying through the air with a powerful kick that has become my signature move by now. Thankfully, Malia heard my warning and stepped aside just in time to avoid the crash. The creepy form slams against the wall with a lot of force, leaving a few cracks and a bump behind. "Nice shot" she says before giving her best right-cross to the zombie-looking fella coming her way from behind - good luck at ever catching this werecoyote off guard. "Thanks" I say and I go back to delivering blow after blow to the monsters coming at me.

I'm not the least bit surprised that we managed to get ourselves into another one of these messes. Beacon Hills is the main attraction for murderous supernatural creatures and relations to the True Alpha tend to bring about life-threatening situations such as this. So trouble seems to find my friends and I quite easily. But this mess feels different - more serious than what we are used to.

It all started a few days ago when some truly terrifying news came to our attention in the most unsettling way imaginable. We were all gathered at Scott's new apartment that he and Malia had been sharing for the past couple of months. After realizing the amount of unavoidable responsibilities being a True Alpha truly holds, and with Monroe still on the loose, the Alpha pack decided to move on with their lives _but_ _much_ _closer_ _to home_ _than_ _originally_ _planned_ so as to be able to swoop in and save the day whenever the situation calls for it. The night was going by smoothly. We were just chilling out, drinking and laughing and talking - finally resembling something close to regularity and peace. But our stolen moment of normality got brutally interrupted when a fatally wounded werewolf showed up on Scott's doorstep. A young wolf, around Liam's age, the sight of whom, all beaten up, bloodied and tortured I recall caused my heart to ache and my eyes to water. We tried to save him, but he ended up laying his life in Scott's arms. But not before using his final breath to speak an ominous warning that shook us all down to our very cores. _They_ _came_ _for us. And now, they're_ _coming_ _for you._ _They won't stop until we are_ _all dead._

And it didn't take long for us to find out who _they_ were.

Two days afterwards, a suspicious number of Beacon Hills' residents started disappearing under mysterious circumstances_. _A soccer mom from her own home's kitchen; a jogger on his morning route; an Uber driver from his car. All of them - and many more - went missing in just the span of a few days, leaving no trace behind except from some freaky markings on the walls (or the car window, or the trunk of a tree) and streams of black dust all over the floors. But that wasn't the only connection. All these residents belonged to the certified and documented supernatural population of Beacon Hills (after the whole Monroe fiasco, the Sheriff had to take precautions for the good of everyone in town). Of course, Stiles took a whiff of the mystery because of his dad, Scott took a whiff of it because of Stiles... and then the dominoes started falling. An all too familiar chain of events that came like a perfect avalanche and swept the rest of us away as well. A late night call and a trip to Deaton's later, where we learned that said black dust was actually sulfur, a key component in the works of dark magic, we were out on the streets, looking for any new evidence. After catching the hellish scent of sulfur in the air, we followed it to the school's parking lot, thus discovering the latest crime scene. But before getting the chance to alert the sheriff or do anything about our latest discovery, we were ambushed. Figures came out of the shadows, with skins the snow white color of death, bloodshot red eyes that screamed madness and a dozen branches of black veins decorating their bodies. They looked possessed. And they were out for blood.

So, here we are now. In a high school parking lot, in the middle of the goddamn night, beating the shit out of some ugly zombie like creatures that apparently have a taste for supernatural flesh.

Just a typical Tuesday night if you ask me.

Hey! At least my life is never boring.

Jokes aside though, these beasts are no picnic to defeat. We've been going at it with them for what seems like hours and they only seem to be getting stronger, meaner and angrier. Five of them have cornered me. I kick, I punch, I claw, I slash... I manage to knock three of them out... but I just can't keep up with them. The moment the third let's-say-zombie falls to the ground, his buddy catches me off guard and blindsides me. It gives me a hella strong punch to the ribs that has me on my knees, gripping my abdomen and toppling over with pain. These things are stronger than they look. Their fists are made of solid granite and they hit with the force of a mad lighting bolt - or at least that's how they feel like. The monster towers over me, a dark shadow, the devil personified, and opens its hideous mouth in the form of a bone-chilling below, revealing a set of needles-like teeth covered in black tard. My system is telling me "fight fight fight!" but my body still hasn't fully recovered from the blow so I simply glare daggers at it, challenging him with a hiss through my fangs and a flash of my orangish lioness orbs. His eyes are a terrifying sight as it raises its hand over its ugly head, yellow claws on full front, ready to strike me anew. But I refuse to look away. Instead I keep my eyes wide open as I wait for the next blow to find me.

But it never comes.

A roar loudest than thunder rips through the air and the next thing I know is that the beast is no more, his head lying before my knees on the ground, locked on a grimace of pure terror - terror for its life. I slowly lift my gaze until I come face to face with my savior. His normally pale green eyes now sparkle like sapphires, a cold steel blue that makes my heart race every time I behold it. His fangs are bared, his claws too, revealing the predator, the primal warrior that is hidden inside - the wolf for whom my inner lioness roars for every moment of her existence. His raven black hair are tousled from the fight, yet he still looks ravishing. His beautifully sharp and enticingly symmetrical features are fully transformed into their wolfish counterparts whilst his black attire is covered in blood and black liquid. He looks imposing. He looks like a victor. My savior. My warrior. My wolf. My love.

Derek. The last of the Hale clan (one of the oldest and most powerful werewolf clans that have ever existed), the former Alpha of Beacon Hills and my dearest friend.

"You okay?" he asks in his gruff werewolf voice before offering his hand to help me get up. "Yeah. Thanks" I say in a soft voice, still feeling entranced by his presence, before taking his hand in mine and using it as leverage to pick myself up. Electricity courses through my veins the moment our skins meet but I have no time to savour it. You see, we had forgotten that there were five zombies around. "LOOK OUT!" I scream as I see the last motherfucker standing looming menacingly behind Derek, his claws up and ready to strike him, but I don't let it happen. At the thought of Derek getting hurt, my body forgets all about its injury and its weakness. Instead, I feel a wave of immense power taking over me and urging me forward. So I push Derek out of the way and use all of my strength to stab the beast with my stiletto heel right in the heart. Its mouth is left agape both in shock and in pain as I watch the life force leave its already empty eyes. Once I remove my heel from its chest, it too falls on the dirty forest floor, dead and forgotten. "Now I get why you always wear these things" Derek's snarky voice echoes from behind me, causing a subtle grin to form across my lips. "You should've learned by now, Hale," I say as I copy him and offer a helping hand "that I'm always dressed to kill"

"I figured" he says as he gets up.

"Hey guys! Look" Scott's voice causes both of us to turn around and take a better look at our surroundings. "They are running off" Liam comments as we all watch in bewilderment at the sight before us; the same monsters that were trying to kill just a few seconds ago now scramming like scared kittens.  
"Maybe we scared them?" says Stiles.  
"I don't think so. There is something else going on" says Scott in that somber voice he uses when he is deep in thought.  
"Well good riddance either way" Malia snaps in her usual no-nonsense tone. "I'm beat, let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps at this hour and I don't want to be here if these shitheads decide to come back"  
"Malia is right, guys. Our job here is done for now" I say.  
"Okay then. Let's go" and with these words from our Alpha, we get going.

"Hey, wait up" I hear a soft voice telling me at the same time that I feel a set of manly yet tender and careful fingers wrapping themselves around my wrist. I turn around and allow my dark chocolate gaze to cross paths with Derek's pale green one. "What's the matter?" I ask. "Hold still" he says and brings the sleeve of his shirt to my face. With soft, caring movements, he strokes my cheek, probably getting rid of some smudge caused by dirt or blood or black ichor during the fight. All the while holding my gaze captive, his beautiful emerald irises piercing right through my skin and exploring every inch of my soul, leaving no spot uncharted. I use this opportunity to study his features, an activity that offers me great pleasure but I don't get to do that often. I peruse every inch of his handsome face; the sharpness of his cheekbones, the angle of his jaw, the subtle crease in his eyebrows, the fullness of his lips and softness of his facial hair. Those last features of his are the ones that star in the majority of my late night fantasies. I often imagine how his mouth would feel against my skin. Soft and tender or hard and demanding? Either way I would love it. Would his beard scratch my skin as he would devour my mouth or as he would lay open-mouthed kisses across my neck, chest, stomach and...

"There" he says and smiles lightly as he finishes cleaning up my skin. "Better now?" I ask in a cheeky voice. "Perfect. As always" he says and I feel my heart racing again. He cradles my cheek in his palm, gently stroking it with his thumb, and I melt. It's moments like this one that I long for. Simple moments that still feel like sweet, welcome eternity in my heart of hearts. Moments that he doesn't hold himself back, that he allows himself to _feel something. _To feel _me. _It's moments like this that give me hope and make me believe that it is not all for naught. That maybe our bond hasn't been completely severed by all the years of hardship and pain that nearly wrecked his heart. That maybe he can still remember how it feels to love someone and then maybe he can finally allow himself to feel our bond.

Because I know how I feel about Derek. I know what the connection between us means and I know that I can't be the only one feeling it. It's impossible according to every force of nature! He is my mate and my heart is strong enough to wait for him to see it too.

"Yo lovebirds! Are you coming or what?!" And just like that, the spell is broken, the magic of the moment is gone and I do a nosedive back to reality. Derek's hand falls off my cheek, the warmth in my chest disappears and we both turn around at the same time to yell at Stiles to shut up. What's even more frustrating about our situation is that everyone thinks we are an item in the making (cuz according to Lydia we have so much sexual chemistry it is ridiculous) and they have to remind us constantly. That is something none of us have gotten used to yet and it's been three years!

I turn to look at Derek. Ice cold stare, rigid posture and emotional brick walls are all there and I hear my heart cracking a bit at the sight. He doesn't say anything. He just takes off after the rest of our group. I let out a heavy sigh of frustration and I follow them as well.

_Lord help me._

* * *

_**Somewhere in the shadows of a lonely and grim place **_

"There they are" the woman in red says in a triumphant tone that matches her wicked smile. She stares intently at the crystal sphere in front of her, the image of the two star-crossed lovers locked in a moment of intimate connection shimmering within the glass. She caresses the sphere languidly, a feeling of sick satisfaction characterizing her movements and attitude as she imagines what she's about to do to the two shape-shifters. "I've finally found them"

"Le prince loup et la princesse lionne" says the ominous figure standing next to her, a celebratory smile adorning his pale features, making him look even more intimidating. "You did it, ma reine. You have finally found the missing puzzle piece"

"Not yet, my dear" says the woman in red, addressing to her trusted black-clad warlock companion. "But soon enough. Now that the star-crossed lovers are within our reach it won't take us long to achieve our goal"

"Hopefully you are not getting ahead of yourself with the celebrating" suddenly the voice of the female hunter interrupts their cheerful mood, causing a frown of distaste to appear in the witch's face. "Why so uptight all the time Monroe?" says the woman in red with the snow white skin and the dark brown hair. "I'm just making sure that you are keeping your eye on our _collective_ goal" says Monroe in an ominously serious tone, two of her henchmen on either side of her body, their guns on full display. The witch has to bite back a chuckle. The poor human still believes that she can be intimidated by such cheap tricks performed by such an insignificant creature as Tamara Monroe. The witch found that amusing but only to a certain degree. Lately, it had started getting on her nerves. It's no secret that the huntress needs to improve her manners; after all, she was the one who came to her, begging for help to get rid of that eternal thorn in her side. But hopefully she won't have to put up with her attitude for much longer. "Oh, but I am darling. You see, once we acquire the final ingredient, we'll be able to fully set our plans in motion. You will get rid of Scott McCall and his abominable pack once and for all and I will get back my coven"  
"And what about the other part of our deal?" says Monroe and one of her guards loads his weapon. "Relax honey I fully intend to keep it. Once my coven is resurrected, we will give you and your people the power you desire. No beast will be able to hide from you"  
"And together, hunters and witches, we will give back the world to the ones who deserve it. We will rid the earth of those ungodly monsters. No one will have to live in fear any longer" says Monroe in a solemn tone.  
"Precisely"  
After hearing what she wanted to hear, Monroe's men visibly relax. "So how are you planning to take what we need out of these two?" asks the huntress, pointing at the young couple in the crystal sphere. "It's simple dearie. I'm going to give them exactly what they both crave for. Each other" she says with a menacing grin, tapping her long fingernails over their picture. The perfect capture of a heated gaze, their bodies so close yet not close enough, the warmth between them almost physically available to touch and their inner animals so close to the surface, yearning to come together, that their auras could be seen.

There is a fire between them. And the two women will not rest until it has consumed them all.

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm back from the hiatus with a new story! This is like the gem of my soul, my pride and joy and I finally got the guts to upload it! I hope that you'll fall in love with it same as me. As always, please make sure you send me comments, vote, follow etc cuz your support means the world to me!**  
**P.S.** **Now that is summertime I promise that I'll try my best to finish up The Wolf Warrior and Hathor's** **Daughter and I'll give you your first taste of Luxurious Glimmer cuz all of my stories are important and I intend to do justice to all of them.**  
**P.S.** **Apologies if some of the Spanish and/or French expressions have errors in them... I'm not a fluent speaker yet... Hopefully I won't offend anyone...**

**Xoxoxo until next time guys! As always #KeepCalmAndHaveDerekHaleCallYouHisPrincess**


	2. Lost History

_**Leanna**_

"Guys, this is hopeless!" Alec, the youngest and latest addition to our pack lets out in a frustrated sigh, rubbing his eyes tiredly and frowning deeply before setting another folder down. After last night's events, we decided to meet up and resume our research, hoping to find anything that could enlighten us on what those creatures that attacked us at the school's parking lot were. As a result, the entirety of our pack is currently sitting in the living room of Derek's loft (the most spacious and secure place in Beacon Hills, ideal to accommodate our needs), each one of us crouching over a pile of books and papers. But even after six hours of hard work and throughout reading of every file, document and record we managed to collect in relation to the case, we still haven't found anything new or useful. Honestly, it's starting to get a little tiring and depressing over here and judging by everyone else's chemo-signals I'm not the only one feeling this way.

"Hey! I don't want that kind of attitude when we are doing research. It'll get us nowhere" Stiles warns from his seat on the couch, momentarily lifting his head from the pile of files he had been reading for the past couple of ours, only to shoot a chastising glare at the poor puppy. Geez, when he's in dad mode he can get really intimidating.

"Actually, I agree with Alec on this one" says Mason from his spot across the room, right next to Liam. "I mean, we spent the whole day going through this stuff and we still haven't figured out what was it that attacked you guys last night"

"Does anyone listen to me when I'm talking?" Stiles murmurs in a complaining way, evoking an affectionate and comforting shoulder-rub from Lydia which immediately relaxes him. _Poor_ _guy, he's_ _just_ _as stressed_ _out_ _as the rest of us,_ I think as I watch the young couple together. Stiles offers her a small thank you smile and strokes her hand with his in gratitude as if wanting to leave an imprint of her kindness and love for him on his skin for future reference. Unfortunately I can't look at the lovely picture for too long without feeling frustrated or saddened by the fact that I will never be able to experience that. At least not with the guy that I really want...

Instead of letting it get to me, though, I simply focus all my attention back on the case. "Maybe we are looking at this all wrong" I say.

"What do you mean?" Derek asks and suddenly the entire room turns to my direction. "I mean what if we can't find anything because there is nothing to find? Think about it, if there is nothing related to these monsters or their makers in any of our family's records then someone must have had these information erased for a reason" I express my theory.

"Damnatio memoriae" says Lydia in a solemn tone finally catching my drift. "Like the Beast of Gévaudan"

"Exactly" I confirm.

"That does make sense come to think of it. After seeing these ugly bastards last night I can completely understand why anyone would want to erase their existence and that of their makers from the memory of mankind entirely" Stiles adds.

"But if your theory, darling, is correct then we are wasting time and energy here" says Peter from his faraway corner, sitting like a king on his throne on top of his imported leather chair, the usual air of arrogance, self-assurance and poise surrounding him. "The whole point of damnatio memoriae is to conceal any information, preventing future generations from learning the existence of traumatic historical events"

"Not exactly" says Lyds. "The fact that these historical events were concealed gives us enough information for now. It tells us that whoever or whatever made these creatures has done it before, that it probably created a lot of chaos back then, thus causing them to piss off the historians enough to want to erase them from memory. And history always leaves traces behind. Nothing ever vanishes completely. Even Sebastien Valet's existence couldn't remain concealed forever. Things like that always leave a mark. We just have to find it"

"I still don't get what any of this has to do with a bunch of random shifters" says Malia a bit exasperated, sitting by Scott's feet on the ground - wanting to be as close to her mate as possible. "I agree. There doesn't seem to be a deeper connection between the disappearances. I don't know why they would choose them in particular for whatever it is that they are doing" says Scott, looking intently at one of the papers in his hands.

"What if there's no need for a deeper connection? What if the fact that they are shifters is enough to render them targets?" says Theo - an unexpected participant in the conversation; since his place in the pack is still rather delicate, even after months of proving his worth, he is always very careful with his words around the pack leaders.

"So we are basically looking for a deadly plague that has been killing off shifters for a couple of centuries now? Well that can't be so hard" says Liam.

"That's the spirit puppy!" I say in an affectionate way before reaching out and ruffling his hair a bit the way I'd do for my baby brother if he was still around. "Thanks big mama Lea" he says with a shy smile shinning on his adorable face.

Over the span of these two years that I've been around I've developed quite the bond with all members of the pack. The girls and I have been best friends to the point of literal sisterhood since the moment my heels landed on Beacon Hills' soil. Scott and Stiles have been the closest thing to little brothers I've gotten since my real ones died in our family home's massacre almost eight years ago. As far as the puppy pack is concerned, they all call me 'big mama Lea' and I'm basically the pack mom none of them expected to have.

I'm surprised to catch the sound of a growl and the subtle scent of... _jealousy_ with my super-senses after removing my hand from Liam's hair. At first I thought that the growl came from Derek - the signal's waves seemed to be coming from his direction - but then I noticed that the scent of jealousy was getting stronger, causing my smell to overcome my other senses. It lead me to find out that the one responsible was..._Theo! Of all people!_ I turn around and I catch him glaring daggers at the back of Liam's head, before quickly dropping his gaze back at the pieces of paper lying on his lap once he figures out that I've caught him staring. _Interesting_, I think to myself as I watch Theo's cheeks turning into a soft shade of pink, the slight scent of embarrassment reaching my nostrils a moment later. I had noticed that these two had grown significantly closer lately, I just hadn't figured out that it was something _this_ spicy going on between them. _How_ _lovely! Another_ _adorable_ _pairing, made_ _of two good_ _friends_ _of mine, to fangirl_ _over!_ Although, admittedly, it pains me to witness my friends showcasing their love for each other so openly and intensely from time to time, I simply can't help feeling happy for them. It brings me extreme joy to see my loved ones happy and content and I simply relish in it. So with a slight smile now plastered across my face I let the poor baby be and go back to my work.

"Let's just hope that these disappearances are random occurrences and that there is no pattern behind them" says Peter after a long moment of silence.

"What kind of pattern?" asks Malia.

Peter closes the book he'd been reading and changes his stance from casual and nonchalant to deadly serious. "The kind that tells us that these are just practice targets. That whoever is behind this is simply warming up, going after low risk victims at first in order to prepare themselves for the really big score. Cause then, the more disappearences, the more confidence he or she will be getting, until they'll be ready to go after what they really want. And we all know who the Apex Predator is in this jungle" he says and suddenly the room goes deadly quiet, the atmosphere electrified and cold at the same time.

"That would explain the warning" says Derek. "Assuming of course it's the same attacker"

"Pretty safe assumption if you ask me" says Stiles.

"And if what he said is true, if they truly want to rid Beacon Hills of all supernatural beings, then we know what their ultimate goal is" I say, looking at Scott.

"They'll be going after the Alpha pack" says Scott in a somber tone.

"And its True Alpha" Lydia has the final say.

* * *

It had gotten dark by the time we decided to wrap it up for the day. The members of the puppy pack were the first ones to go, since they still had school related obligations the next morning and worried parents waiting for them to come home. Cory basically carried a sleeping Mason out the door, while Theo offered Liam a ride home, causing me to snicker secretly to myself. The latter two were lucky that the rest of the Alpha pack were too focused on the case to notice anything else going on in the room, because otherwise they'd be in a world of trouble. It's no secret that Scott, Stiles and the girls still ain't too fond of Theo, so if my intuition is correct - which it certainly is - they will all go ballistic if they find out that the chimera is sneaking around with their surrogate son.

Scott and Malia went home a little after the kids did, whilst Stiles and Lydia stuck around until midnight. Knowing that kid, he would have stayed till Saturday if that's what it took to get his answers. Thank God for Lydia and her reasoning though! Finally, at 1:00 am, Derek and I are the only ones left in the apartment, Peter having excused himself a while ago. "Man, I'm exhausted!" I let out in an exaggerating voice, my arms spread out like eagle-wings over the top of the couch's back as my eyes stare aimlessly at the bluntly-colored ceiling.

"You better get used to it, princess" says Derek in a teasing manner, his voice coming from somewhere far away, his nickname for me doing wonders to my heart. "Something's telling me that they're going to be plenty of tiring nights like this one ahead of us"

"Is that something called 'experience'?" I say in a sarcastic tone. I hear him chuckling, the sound causing a smile to break out across my face. "Here" he says and I un-hang my head to look up at him. He has a glass of whiskey in each of his hands and I immediately know that it's from the bottle he keeps for when I come over. "My hero!" I say in a sugary-sweet voice, wearing my favorite sultry smile, as I take the glass he is offering in my hands and take on a more comfortable sitting position in order to better enjoy the delicious golden delight. Even though none of us can get drunk, because of our supernatural status and all, we can still enjoy the taste, warmth and euphoria that some good old-fashioned strong liquor has to offer. It's basically buddy-drinking without any of the terrible side-effects of hangover following up the next day.

And buddy-drinking while hanging out in the loft has been our favorite activity since our original reunion. It's when we can simply relax and enjoy ourselves, take a break from all the chaos of our lives and simply be us. No crazy responsibilities. No life-threatening situations. No legacies that we must protect. We are just Derek and Lea - whatever that means anyway. I specifically love our little moments of privacy, because it's when he looks the calmest, most serene and comfortable. It's when I feel the closest to him.

"What's on your mind, princess?" he says with a light smile - soft, tender and subtle like a secret; the kind that can set my heart on fire. He sits close to me now with his drink in hand and one arm spread over the couch's back. The way his hand is positioned causes our fingers to nearly touch. Always so close yet so far away... It's torturous...

_You, _I nearly reply. But, thankfully, my wits haven't abandoned me yet so I manage to bite my tongue and hold my breath before making a complete fool of myself. Instead, I say: "Just how far we've all come. So many things have changed over the past year. Except from the constant fighting for our survival, of course. That shit just keeps recicling itself back into our lives no matter what we do"

"It comes with the name, like senora Carolina used to say" says Derek and I manage to smile lightly at the mention of my mom. "But you're right, it's nice seeing the cubs all grown up"

"It is. How do you feel knowing that you are going to become cousins in law with Scott?" I ask him and he nearly chokes on his drink. I laugh at his hilarious reaction and I hear him chuckling too in-between coughs of scotch. "First of all, are you trying to fucking kill me? Don't say things like that when I'm not prepared" he says in an exasperated voice but I don't give up laughing. "Secondly, slow down a bit! He hasn't even popped the question to Malia yet"

"I know but still! It is bound to happen at some point" I say taking a sip from my drink.

"It sure as hell is better than having Stiles as a relative" he adds sarcastically and I playfully punch his chest. "Hey now! You and I both know that you absolutely love that kid! You'd lay down and die for him if you had to" I remind him. "Of course I love him. Like a brother. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't annoy me to the point of insanity. So if I were to receive an even bigger dose of Stilinski than what I am now, one of us would probably end up with a few broken ribs. And it wouldn't be me" he says it all with the exact same starkly serious tone that is both scary and funny at the same time. "Okay touché" I say as I watch him take a big gulp of whiskey.

"Nonetheless, I'm happy to have them both in my life. They remind me a lot of Vincent and Michael. They are the closest thing to little brothers I have and the fact that I'll probably become actual family with one of the two makes me really proud" he says in all sincerity and my heart nearly melts at the spot. "Of course, if you ever mention any of it to the rest of the pack, I'll simply deny it all" he adds in a sarcastic tone and I crack up a bit. "Dully noted" I promise, one hand raised in the form of an oath and a cheeky smile plastered on my lips.

"Do you miss them? Your brothers?" I ask a bit tentatively after a while. He seems thoughtful for a moment but then a sad smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "There was a time that I simply couldn't spend a day without thinking about them. I used to miss them so damn much... But as time went by, it got better. Until the pain became bearable and it stopped hurting so much" he admits. "What about you?"

"I always miss my sisters when I think about them. I miss playing with them, I miss hearing them laugh, I miss talking to them... Now more than ever actually"

"Why is that?" he asks to know and I internally curse myself. _Because_ _now I have legitimate_ _guy_ _problems_ _to discuss_ _with them_, I elaborate in my head. _Damn_ _it!_ I shouldn't have said that, I nearly gave myself away. I need to learn how to be more careful around Derek, I can't afford to spook him. I subtly squint my eyes and bite the inside of my cheek in order to regain my composure.

"Because the anniversary of their deaths is coming up" I half-life. "But, it's gotten more manageable lately. Maybe the wound has finally started healing" I add a final sincere statement, wrapping up the original topic of our conversation, before taking a sip of my drink.

"At least we still have each other" he says in a low voice and I nearly choke on the gulp of scotch passing through my lips at the time. _Did_ _he just..._ I begin to think with my eyes widened and my heart beating like a mad hammer inside my chest. "And our pack of course" he adds, making me feel a bit disheartened at the fact that he thinks of me as just another fellow pack member. But at least it's better than nothing. Being family is close enough to the goal I'm aiming for, and I don't mind it for the time being.

"Yeah, right. Our crazy little family that just keeps growing" I say, trying to mask my disappointment. "Soon we'll even be hearing wedding bells"

"Probably from Stiles and Lydia" he says. "I bet you ten bucks that he's already picked out the engagement ring"

"Keep your money, I already know that he has" I say nonchalant.

"Wait, really?" he sounds just as surprised as I was expecting him to be, nearly chocking on his drink, widening his eyes and arching his perfectly thick eyebrows in bewilderment. "Yeah, that thing has been sitting in his underwear drawer since the seventh grade" I carry on. "He's even shown it to me. Not bad for a thirteen year old"

I hear Derek chuckling. A beautiful and rare sound that tugs at my heart-strings. "Damn, everyone's coupling up" he says.

"You do realize that we'll end up being the two bitter and grumpy old wolves of the bunch, right?" I say teasingly and he responds with a light smile. "Well if it's any consolation" he scoots closer to me - _dangerously_ close - and meets my gaze intently, a weakness-in-the-knees inducing smile on his lips "you are the only person I'd enjoy being grumpy and bitter with" he says and clinks our glasses together, smirking his significant smirk. _Bastard_, I say from the inside, _As if he knows_ _what he does to me._

"Likewise" I respond, a foxy smile of my own now coming to the surface.

We stay like this for what seems like an eternity. Bodies in close proximity, breaths mingling, hearts beating in sync - from what I can hear with my super-hearing. At some point, I feel myself moving even closer as if controlled by some invisible, inexplicable and unstoppable force. Something inside of me is purring, urging me to follow my basic instincts and follow my heart for the first time in forever. To my surprise, I sense Derek inching closer as well, his face now only a thread away from mine. I can almost taste the liquor upon his lips and at the thought of it my inner lioness roars in delight. She needs to feel her mate. She longs for it.

For a second I actually believe that it's going to happen. That we're actually going to kiss. That he is finally giving in. That he is ready to become mine and make me his. But, at the last second, he pulls back abruptly, almost _violently,_ as if he just got electrocuted and leaves me feeling cold and empty like always.

"It's late" he says coldly as he stands up and walks to the other side of the room - as far away from me as possible. I know what this means. He is indirectly asking me to go.

"Yeah. I should probably get going" I say in a numb voice, placing my glass on the table and gathering my stuff before heading to the door. "Good night Derek" I say after sliding the giant metal door open. "Good night Leanna" he says in his usual stoic voice.

I suck up a deep breath - I'm going to need my strength in order to properly digest another dose of heavy disappointment - and exit the apartment. But, before I can take another step I hear Derek calling out to me. "Leanna wait!" I immediately turn around to face him, trying to contain the hopeful smile from spreading out across my face as I see him standing there before me. "You forgot this" he says, pulling my leather jacket from behind his back.

"Oh right. I must be more tired than I originally thought" I say, faking a light smile - it never gets easy, only _easier_ \- and taking the article of clothing from his firm grip. "I know you wouldn't be able to function without it. A badass without her leather jacket is like a lion without its mane. Isn't that what you always tell me?" he says in a more cheerful tone than before. "You are correct. Thanks Der" I say and suddenly I feel the lightbulb of an idea igniting in my head. I master every ounce of boldness I have in my system and stand on the tips of my toes in order to place a sweet and languid kiss of gratitude upon his cheek. I feel his body tensing as he sucks in a breath and holds it firmly. On the inside I'm smiling victoriously because I've managed to evoke the right reaction from him. "Good night then" I say and walk off, leaving him standing there like a statue.

_Every_ _uphill_ _slope_ _has_ _a top. And I'm slowly_ _yet surely_ _making_ _my way towards_ _it._ I tell myself as the elevator's door closes and the metal box begins its descend.

* * *

_**Derek**_

I stand there motionless and electrified at the same time. My mouth hangs open and my facial expression is the dictionary's definition of an idiot! I quickly shut the door and collapse against it like a man defeated in battle - which in this case I probably am.

My hand climbs to the side of my face and feels up the area of my cheek. My skin still burns from when her ruby red lips touched it. _Damn_ _I love that lipstick_ _color. It makes her lips look even more_ _delectable_ _and inviting_ _\- if that's even possible. It does crazy things to my control._ My fingertips try to memorize the feeling, try to embed it in my pores and transmit it in my soul forever. I long to feel that burning sensation again. I need to feel her lips on my skin again. Only this time I don't want them to be just on my cheek. I need them to be everywhere else as well. I remove my fingers from my cheek and bring them in front of my face in order to inspect them. They are stained by the red fire of her kiss and in an instinctual action I bring them to my mouth. I kiss the stained tips, tasting the subtle cherry flavor of her lipstick and close my eyes in utter pleasure as I imagine how it would feel like having her lips on mine, kissing me passionately like the wildcat that she is. It's not hard, considering that my best dreams nowadays consist of her sweet, plump lips filling my neck with mating marks. Or of them molding against my chest and abdominals, leaving traces of that fiery red behind, as she descends lower and lower until she has them wrapped around my...

_Ugh! _I bellow in frustration, my control close to snapping and my patience fading. I quickly get up from the floor and rush to the bathroom. I splash a couple of handfuls of water on my face and try to somehow get my shit back together, but my composure is still far from my reach. I lift my gaze and stare back at my reflection in the mirror; I'm panting like crazy, my face is all heated up while my eyes are wide open and wild-looking. I look like a mad man. Like a predator hungry for its prey. _Leanna Kingston has rendered me thoroughly and royally fucked!_

Resisting her was a truly herculean labor - it always is and it doesn't get any easier. If I had kissed her then it'd all be over now. I would have had my way with her right there on that couch and I wouldn't have stopped until our mating bond was sealed. God knows how badly I want that to happen. How badly I crave to hold her in my arms and have her as my mate for the rest of our days. How badly I ache to tell her that I love her and that I have loved her since I was old enough to know what romantic love truly is. Since we were two naive kids playing make-believe at our parents' old backyard.

But I can never have what I truly want. I can't be in love with Leanna and I can never have her as my mate - at least not without putting both of our lives at risk. I could care less about my life though. Leanna is the one that deserves to preserve, that deserves to have a full and happy life. She's already lost so much... She lost her whole damn family in such a young age and yet she never lost hope. She never gave up nor walked away from her duty towards this town. She's risked her life for the people that she loves more times than I can count. She's already sacrificed so much for the pack. _For me too._ She is the strongest, bravest and kindest person I know - and that says a lot. She is everything that I respect and admire and I know that she deserves better than a fate connected to mine. She deserves to have a happy ending but I can never give her that.

Because the curse weights heavily on both of our heads.

It was on the day of Leanna's fourteenth birthday that my father told me the truth. I was sixteen at the time, which means that I was old enough to sense the development of a mating bond and realize my true feelings towards the little lioness.

We were inseparable back then. She was my best friend. My confidant. We grew up together, we did everything together. We attended the same schools, were both interested in sports (she was into gymnastics while I was into basketball) and of course we would tell each other everything. Our siblings used to tease us a lot about how close we were. And that teasing was meant to be my downfall.

Our families had gathered at Kingston manor that day to celebrate the happy event. While all the grown-ups were drinking and chatting inside, the younglings were playing outside and Leanna's younger sisters had the _brilliant_ idea to play wedding. My sister, Laura, and Leanna's brother, Richard, wanted to mess with us so they suggested that we'd be the bride and groom. _As expected_, the little ones got super excited with the idea, so there was no saving us at that point. They dressed as up, set us up in the backyard like real life betrotheds and even performed a little ceremony around us.

That's when it happened. That's when Leanna and I shared our first - and only - real kiss. When we 'got married'. And that's when everything changed between us. Cause the moment our lips met, I felt it. The bond forming between us like an invisible thread connecting us and drawing us together. I'm pretty sure I had a dazed look on my face when we pulled apart. Leanna, on the other hand, was smiling the most beautiful, bright and innocent smile I had ever seen. It melted my heart right on the spot and that was the moment I knew that I would spend the rest of my days loving her.

At first I was ecstatic at the fact that my best friend in the world was going to be my mate. I was a bit disheartened by her not realizing what had just happened between us, because she was too young for her body to acknowledge the connection, but that didn't stop me from wanting to tell her. After all, we were meant to spend our whole lives together so where was the harm in starting a bit earlier?

I never got to tell her anything though. Turns out, my father had accidentally caught us kissing and the minute we walked inside he took me aside and revealed to me our families' greatest secret. He told me the story of my ancestor who fell in love with a Kingston werelioness, leading to them mating, and of the dark druid who wished to destroy their happiness. She was envious of their love and the power that their mating bond offered them. So she made sure that the couple and their offsprings would suffer terrible deaths at the hands of fate. When the two families found out, they chased down the dark druid and devoured her like prey in order to punish her for her sins and all the pain that she had caused them. But before letting out her final breath, she laid a curse down on all future generations of both clans. According to the curse, at every new generation, a wolf and a werelioness would fall in love and become mates but every step of their journey would be filled with pain, loss and suffering leading up to them losing their lives after the birth of their first child. _Which is why you must stay away from Leanna. If you truly care for her, you will never reveal your connection to her nor will you say a word about the curse to anyone,_ was my father's warning.

But I didn't listen to him at the time. I was so thrilled about having a mate that I couldn't wait to tell her the news. I waited for the right time... But precisely a week after her birthday, her entire family was murdered in their own home by a group of hunters that we later found out was lead by Gerald Argent. Needless to say that Leanna took a hell of a bite out of the old psycho once she learned of his involvement - I never felt prouder of her than in that exact moment. That tragedy changed both of our lives forever. It rendered her an orphan. And it opened my eyes regarding the true nature of the curse. I didn't need any more convincing that our path to suffering had began and so I did the only thing that I could. I stayed away from her. I _had_ to protect her. I had to do everything in my power to delay the full fruition of our destiny and that was the only way.

Thankfully, Leanna left Beacon Hills shortly after the incident to live with her aunt in Los Angeles - her closest living relative. So, the part of staying away from her worked itself out. I just wasn't prepared for the other part; missing her. I couldn't go a day without thinking about her eyes, her hair, her smile, her scent, her laughter, the way she made my heart beat faster... I needed her. I longed for her. And the longer we stayed apart the more painful it got.

So I started looking for distractions. That's how I met Paige. And for a short period of time I actually believed that I could do this; that I could actually move on and avoid all of that mayhem. But then all hell broke loose again. One bad mistake after another, one tragedy after another, and I was on that path to heartache once more. Paige's death wrecked me while Kate's betrayal and my own family's demise nearly broke me. I felt like I was free-falling. I was lost and in despair. And the worst part of it was that I didn't have _her_. That I didn't have my best friend, _my mate_, there to comfort me and be my rock, my constant.

So, I've been in constant pain for the past decade of my life. But it's all worth it because at least Leanna is alive and safe and by my side. And even though I can't love her the way that I want to, at least I get to see her face every day; I get to hear her laughter, smell her scent and share her company; I get to have late night drinks and deep discussions with her. I get to have my best friend in my life and the vision of my mate in my mind. And that's enough.

Only problem is that I think she's started to pick up on the fact that there is something going on between us. Since we both got back and decided to stay for good, she's been acting differently. She thinks that I'm clueless but I've noticed: the lingering looks, the subtle yet intimate touches, the difference in her scent. She's figured out our bond and if my instinct is correct - which it is - she wants us to be together. But that can never happen. Leanna can never find out the truth. She must never know that I love her or that we are meant to be. We can never be together, not the way that she wants us to at least. Our life as a mated couple must forever remain what it is now - a dream, a fantasy, a product of wishful thinking.

Or else I risk losing the most important thing that I've got left.

Thankfully, Theo taught me how to mask my scent and control my heartbeats. That way I can keep up pretending for as long as I have to. Hopefully I'll be able to keep on resisting her too...

"Well, this shitshow isn't getting any prettier" I say to myself. I throw one final handful of water at myself and with one last glance at the miserable sight in the mirror I go to my room and start getting ready for bed. It's been a long day.

_Hell, it's been a long decade._


End file.
